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Tripadvisor just ranked Mandarin as #6 in the US. Is it really that much better than some of the others in the city? Seems like Bellagio and Wynn get a lot of talk on the forum, don't hear much about Mandarin.

I'll be at MO starting 2/1 for 3 nights -- very excited! I was there for a short stay (I think only one night) on a trip in 2010 or 2011 and it wasn't that memorable. Hoping I'll feel the "specialness" this trip.

Tripadvisor just ranked Mandarin as #6 in the US. Is it really that much better than some of the others in the city? Seems like Bellagio and Wynn get a lot of talk on the forum, don't hear much about Mandarin.

I'm sorry but TripAdvisor ratings are stupid. There's no way the MO in LV should be #6 in the US. Maybe Top 100, but definitely not #6.

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What didnt you like about Mandarin Oriental? I have stayed at a lot of 5 star hotels in the US including a few on that list and Mandarin is definitely one of the most impressive overall experience i had. The service is certainly as good as you would expect from a hotel of that caliber and is on par with the best Four Season resorts. Its all subjective but please tell us what you dont like(room decor service etc) instead of just claiming its stupid.

I'm sorry but TripAdvisor ratings are stupid. There's no way the MO in LV should be #6 in the US. Maybe Top 100, but definitely not #6.

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Its because of the way TripAdvisor tabulates the list. Its based on overall user ratings that have been collected so it can easily skew towards hotels with lower numbers of total votes and/or popular destinations. For example the #1 ranked hotel on their list is in San Diego and has only 700 total votes while Wynn Las Vegas has 7000. This is not an editors rating or anything like that, it has the same shortcomings as any user review site has. Particularly this MO in Vegas because if you go through reviews you see tons of people writing about how they love it because it has no "smoky casino" and drunk people, etc. What they are comparing it to matters.

I haven't even been inside the Mandarin Oriental in Vegas but have stayed at them in a lot of other cities and they are usually one of the very best wherever they are. So I have no doubt the one in Vegas is top notch. But very little on that list would match up with the more usual luxury rankings done by guys like Conde Nast, etc.

Though I've not stayed at the LV location, I have stayed at the MO in San Francisco on several occasions and once in Miami and put it right up there with any property I've had the pleasure, which includes the Ritz in SF, Chicago and Boston... Grand Del Mar (San Diego)...Grand America (Salt Lake City) and Four Seasons (Seattle). Lotta snazzy joints out there and MO is one of them IMHO>

Those who criticize MO have likely never stayed there. That's clear, because if they had, they would realize what a fantastic property they run.

MO opened to offer Vegas something different... And that they do. For that, they're now ranked ABOVE Wynncore in rating (not just on tripadvisor) and can offer a level of personal service that Steve Wynn just can't seem to get back to. It's especially biting for Wynn, as they just lost a star with Forbes ratings, knocking them down to 4.

Ouch.

Most here complain about not wanting (or being able to afford) a suite at MO or the lack of casino: And that's EXACTLY why they opened folks. For people who can afford out of pocket a great room and don't need (or want) to sit at a table to get it comped.

Wynn is not penalized for having 7000 reviews. They are penalized because they have had unhappy customers over the years. And you can't say they were done by rubes or not deserved because I've seen some of the same complaints in those reviews turn up in threads here. Isn't there a thread running now about how the buffet has declined?

Those who criticize MO have likely never stayed there. That's clear, because if they had, they would realize what a fantastic property they run.

MO opened to offer Vegas something different... And that they do. For that, they're now ranked ABOVE Wynncore in rating (not just on tripadvisor) and can offer a level of personal service that Steve Wynn just can't seem to get back to. It's especially biting for Wynn, as they just lost a star with Forbes ratings, knocking them down to 4.

Ouch.

Most here complain about not wanting (or being able to afford) a suite at MO or the lack of casino: And that's EXACTLY why they opened folks. For people who can afford out of pocket a great room and don't need (or want) to sit at a table to get it comped.

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I agree with all of this. MO is just not looking for the Vegas crowd. Their target audience is not looking for a comped room. I'll just add--how can Wynn expect to remain top ranked with lines in the lobby, service slipping everywhere, and dumbing down of restaurants and games to the degree that has happened there?

Those who criticize MO have likely never stayed there. That's clear, because if they had, they would realize what a fantastic property they run.

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No one criticized the hotel. They criticized the rankings of these being the best hotels in the entire country. Every MO I've stayed in has been great and usually one of the top hotels in its city. But those user generated TripAdvisor rankings are always way out there because of the methodology.

Sure they are, at least in terms of overall rating which is what those rankings are based on. Its simple stats. Any hotel with 7000 reviews is going to be a lot less likely to get 5-stars from all its users than a hotel with 700 reviews. Same thing with restaurants on Yelp or any of these types of sites. The highest and lowest ratings always skew towards the businesses with fewer ratings.

Sure they are, at least in terms of overall rating which is what those rankings are based on. Its simple stats. Any hotel with 7000 reviews is going to be a lot less likely to get 5-stars from all its users than a hotel with 700 reviews. Same thing with restaurants on Yelp or any of these types of sites. The highest and lowest ratings always skew towards the businesses with fewer ratings.

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While that is technically correct, the law of large numbers also applies. If Wynn had a truely perfect service, five or ten trolls could not impact their overall rating. The fact that they have a lower rating than MO also says something about Wynn service in general.

Disclaimer: Have not stayed as either hotel; however, if I had the chance to check one of them out, it definitely would be MO..

I'll say this though, if the one in Vegas has the service standards of their two flagship properties I can see it being ranked as one of the top in the US.

On my first trip to Hong Kong I was staying there and having lunch with someone but was running late for another meeting. I didn't have the contact details of the people I was seeing, just an address because it was just put on my calendar by someone else. I asked someone at the hotel if they can find the number and call them to let them know I was running late, unbeknownst to me they couldn't find a phone number so actually sent someone to run out there and deliver the message personally (the Mandarin is right in the financial district so it wasn't far). They mentioned it to me so casually like it was nothing at all, that's when I understood what people meant about their service quality.

The other one was at the Oriental in Bangkok. My colleague was ripped off for a few thousand dollars at a local jeweler and when he mentioned it to someone at the hotel they pulled whatever strings they could and got his money back. He never asked them to or would never even think it was something they could do, but it was clear in their response that they wouldn't have it any other way. Their default position is to do everything they possibly can do for you.

But those are their flagship properties, I haven't stayed at any of them in the US but have heard mixed things about the one here in Manhattan from overseas colleagues of mine who have stayed there.

Edited to add: To swuulumm, that's true but I wasn't trying to compare Wynn to MO, even without staying at that MO I'd have no doubt its better. I was just continuing with that example for why the total number of reviews can have a big impact. Just scanning through the top Vegas hotels on TripAdvisor and MO has by far the fewest total reviews of anyone, and that makes a difference.

Good example, Kickin. What is considered normal service at a MO or Peninsula is mind boggling, and things they do at such places without asking would just get you laughed at in most "5 star" hotels if you did ask. Wynn/Aria/Bellagio are just too big to manage service at that level except for a Villa type guest.